Rachel's Story
by converse wearing ninja
Summary: It's hard being The Oracle. Trust me, I would know. Three-headed dragons, evil gods intent on taking over cilization, unrequited crushes....oh yeah, bring it ON.
1. What does promise means anyways?

Chapter One- What does promise mean anyways? **Rachel**

I couldn't do it. I mean, I promised my dad. I didn't swear on the river of Styx, of course… but still, he's mortal, when you're a mortal it means the same thing… But less serious I guess.

How would I do it? I couldn't be an Oracle _and _be at Clarion Ladies Academy at the same time, and being the new Oracle was a full-timer kind of thing. When they asked me if I wanted to do it, I couldn't help but see Percy's concerned face… I got excited and thought he was distraught because of this new job I couldn't be… His… _Girlfriend_. I later found out that he was just concerned because of what happened to May Callestan, Lukes' mom.

I mean sure… I guess it's nice he thought of me… and he was concerned for my mental well-being, but… whatever. He has Annabeth and I have Oracle business. That's what I tell myself to feel better.

I would have to tell my dad the truth. I mean for crying out loud, I am an Oracle couldn't I just predict it? I mean being the new oracle is awesome; I can go wherever I want, party with the gods, I have immortality, and I can paint all day long. I had lost a lot of sleep on this subject, and I decided to tell him… That I… Okay fine, I didn't quite get to that part yet. But I _had _to think of something! I would be there in thirty minutes. Half an Hour. Oh sure, I can snap my fingers and be there, but I had to have time to think, so I took (cringe) a limo. Chiron, Camp Half-Blood's very own centaur/teacher said I could put off being the Oracle until next summer, but Mr. D said I couldn't, that Chiron was high on ambrosia and nectar (is that even possible?) and on the other hand; since Percy made his request that every god identifies their child right away which means that the population of half-bloods has tripled in the last few months, more half-bloods equals more quests, which equals more prophecies for quests, so that means I was needed ASAP. I took my drawing pad/notebook out of my bag, and looked at the page,

Hey Dad, Sorry! I can't go.

Listen, I can see monsters So I have to

I can't go to Clarion Ladies Academy, Because

I slammed the book shut and shoved it into my bag, I started doing things like tapping the seat and humming quickly

"Miss. Dare?" My head shot up. "Yes, Robert?" I tried not to look out the window. "We are here." I gave up, and peered out the window, only to see my fathers large building, cold and cement, picture New York, minus all the magic, and the lights, and then you get my fathers building. "Thank you, Robert."

I opened the limousine door and took a step outside. I was wearing a gray skirt; recently dry cleaned and a white collared shirt, tucked in. I felt like his dream daughter, brainless and tasteless. I had hoped that dressing like this would help him adjust to my broken promise.

I opened the doors.

Walked down the hall.

Pressed the buttons on the elevator.

I stared at the door in front of me. _M. Dare, CEO. _I knocked three times. _Please answer, please answer... _ ThChapter One- What does promise mean anyways? **Rachel**

I couldn't do it. I mean, I promised my dad. I didn't swear on the river of Styx, of course… but still, he's mortal, when you're a mortal it means the same thing… But less serious I guess.

How would I do it? I couldn't be an Oracle _and _be at Clarion Ladies Academy at the same time, and being the new Oracle was a full-timer kind of thing. When they asked me if I wanted to do it, I couldn't help but see Percy's concerned face… I got excited and thought he was distraught because of this new job I couldn't be… His… _girlfriend_. I later found out that he was just concerned because of what happened to May Callestan, Luke's mom.

I mean sure… I guess it's nice he thought of me… and he was concerned for my mental well-being, but… whatever. He has Annabeth and I have Oracle business. That's what I tell myself to feel better.

I would have to tell my dad the truth. I mean for crying out loud, I am an Oracle couldn't I just predict it? I mean being the new oracle is awesome; I can go wherever I want, party with the gods, I have immortality, and I can paint all day long. I had lost a lot of sleep on this subject, and I decided to tell him… That I… Okay fine, I didn't quite get to that part yet. But I _had _to think of something! I would be there in thirty minutes. Half an Hour. Oh sure, I can snap my fingers and be there, but I had to have time to think, so I took (cringe) a limo. Chiron, Camp Half-Blood's very own centaur/teacher said I could put off being the Oracle until next summer, but Mr. D said I couldn't, that Chiron was high on ambrosia and nectar (is that even possible?) and on the other hand; since Percy made his request that every god identifies their child right away which means that the population of half-bloods has tripled in the last few months, more half-bloods equals more quests, which equals more prophecies for quests, so that means I was needed ASAP. I took my drawing pad/notebook out of my bag, and looked at the page,

_Hey Dad, Sorry! I can't go._

_Listen, I can see monsters So I have to_

_I can't go to Clarion Ladies Academy, Because_

I slammed the book shut and shoved it into my bag, I started doing things like tapping the seat and humming quickly

"Miss. Dare?" My head shot up. "Yes, Robert?" I tried not to look out the window. "We are here." I gave up, and peered out the window, only to see my fathers large building, cold and cement, picture New York, minus all the magic, and the lights, and then you get my fathers building. "Thank you, Robert."

I opened the limousine door and took a step outside. I was wearing a gray skirt; recently dry cleaned and a white collared shirt, tucked in. I felt like his dream daughter, brainless and tasteless. I had hoped that dressing like this would help him adjust to my broken promise.

I opened the doors.

Walked down the hall.

Pressed the buttons on the elevator.

I stared at the door in front of me. _M. Dare CEO _I knocked three times, _please answer, please answer_ The door creaked open "Oh, Hello, Rachel." My dad smiled an _Why the heck are you here?_ Kind of smile.

"Hi dad." I bit my lip. I looked at the poster behind him, in his office. It read _Work at Dare Enterprises! Get a scholarship!_ Perfect! "Why, might I ask, are you here?" He smiled "I have something to tell you…" His smile faded. "My art teacher at Goode High managed to get me an art scholarship at… at…" _Come on! Be creative! _"Chiron School of Arts." _CRAP! Chiron school of arts? That'll give the gods a hoot. _"Yes, but Rachel, I do recall you making a promise to me… I had thought I raised you better than to break promises like that." _My nanny raised me better than that, you mean._ "Yes, dad, I know I made a promise but this school has… everything I need! It's highly prestigious!" His eyebrow raised "Fine. Fine Rachel." He shook his head, and closed the door.

End of Chapter one.

Please, please comment! Nike

e door creaked open "Oh, Hello, Rachel." My dad smiled a _Why-the-heck-are-you-here?_ kind of smile.

"Hi dad." I bit my lip. I looked at the poster behind him, in his office. It read _Work at Dare Enterprises! Get a scholarship!_ Perfect!

"Why, might I ask, are you here?" He smiled.

"I have something to tell you…" His smile faded. "My art teacher at Goode High managed to get me an art scholarship at… at…" _Come on! Be creative! _"Chiron School of Fine Arts." _CRAP! Chiron School of Fine Arts? That'll give the gods a hoot. _

"Yes, but Rachel, I do recall you making a promise to me… I had thought I raised you better than to break promises like that." _My nanny raised me better than that, you mean._

"Yes, dad, I know I made a promise but this school has… everything I need! It's highly prestigious!" His eyebrow raised. "Fine. Fine Rachel." He shook his head, and closed the door.

Please, please comment! Nike


	2. Every secret has a reason

_Rachel _

I slumped into the back seat of the limo, and suppressed a loud sigh. "What's with the gargantuan sigh, Miss Dare?" I rolled my eyes, hoping Robert could see in the rearview mirror. Wondering what's up with the big words? You see, when I was little Robert would try really hard to make me laugh, and using big words would do the trick, but Robert (as many people) keeps forgetting that I'm sixteen going on seventeen and that doesn't quite work anymore. "Things are complicated." I finally reply. He remains silent.

On our way there, I think about the big prophecy I made this summer… everyday, I think about it… It chills me to the bone. I wonder if I'll ever meet the Half-bloods mentioned in this prophecy…

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call

To storm or fire the world must fall

an oath to keep with final breath

and foes bear arms to the doors of death

I gave this a lot of thought, considering the Oracle before lost her life to the last big prophecy, and there was something else… The prophecy says half-blood, and not demigod… so it could be pretty much half _anything_ at all! I thought of the possibilities… is there such thing as a half satyr? I pondered that for the rest of the trip.

My train of thought was interrupted by Robert "Are you sure you want me to drop you off in the middle of hinterland?" He asks

"Yes, and thank you, Robert." I paused to look at him "and hinterland doesn't work." He laughed "Good day, Miss." My door closed and there I was, just a few minutes of walking away from Camp Half-Blood.

When I got there Chiron was there to greet me, along with Pollux*(Dionysus's son who had befriended me) and Clarisse two of the full-timers this year at camp half-blood. "How did it go?" Chiron questioned. Clarisse whispered something to her boyfriend, Chris. "It was fine. I guess." Chiron raised his eyebrows in an 'as if' sort of manner.

Just then, Dionysus strolled in, and was strangely dressed in a pink robe and bunny slippers, his hair wrapped up in a towel. As

he walked by he nodded his head at his son, Pollux. "Hello Raquel! And how was your father?" his eyes shot up, in a figuring it out sort of manner. "Or was it your third cousins, best friend's, new-born baby's, god-mother's cousin, three times removed?" everyone stared at him, questioning his sanity (ironically enough that his specialty his curing the mad, just look at Chris.) "No, Mr. D…" I shook my head "It was my father, not my third cousin's, best friend's, new born- whatever." Everybody but Dionysus was shaking their heads and waving their hands "And my name is Rachel. Not Raquel, or Raphaela or Rebecca! Rachel Elizabeth Dare, that teasing may be funny to Percy, but not to me, okay?" Dionysus's face fell from his usual mildly bored look to a bored- angry look. "Listen, Ruthie! You may be the new oracle and all but Peter Johnson," Just then, as if to save me from a terrible lecture, two figures walked in, I couldn't see the people because of the sun, but then I knew who they were. "Are you gossiping about me, or is there finally a Peter Johnson at camp Half-Blood?" Standing before all of us was Percy, with Annabeth. I heard Clarisse whisper to Chris and Pollux a growing nickname here at camp, that made me turn green every time I heard it. "Percabeth" .

"Percy! And Annabeth, hello!" Chiron trotted over them.

"What's up?" Clarisse asked "Well…" Percy looked over at Annabeth "We," began Annabeth I just imagined what they would say… _were engaged! _"We found some very strange half-bloods…"

"strange how?" Pollux asked. Annabeth looked like she wouldn't say anything. "Their six years old…" Percy said for her. What? Why the heck would that matter? Everyone looked around, we had lately had a four-year old come to CHB! "And their controlling things… their all, all three of them, are more powerful than anything we've ever seen!" Annabeth's face was pale "even more than you?" I asked, it was dumb, the care in my voice. "or Thalia?" I added quickly. Percy shook his head, no. "They… You know the promise the Gods made to Percy?" Annabeth asked. Well duh! I thought, but didn't say. "I think these kids were kept a secret for a reason."


	3. In Which Dionysus Acts Like a Jerk

Chapter Three- Dionysus acts like a jerk.

_Kept secret for a reason?_ I thought "What reason?" Clarisse asked, she was thinking the same thing as me. "Well… The first one, Allura…" Percy looked down, his black hair covering his face. "She…" Percy looked at Annabeth then began talking again "She's a lot like Thalia, in the sense of power, you know what I'm saying?" We nodded, Thalia, who I'd met once had a sort of Aura of power around her, I guess it's true she's immortal, but it was something different, it was as though you _had_ to listen to what she said or she'd blow you to smithereens. "Then the boy, Ches… he's also like that… he's the most normal, though… Allura… she seems so mysterious, like she's keeping a secret…" Percy trailed off and looked at us "But she is keeping a secret." I said, confused. "Yeah, I know, but normally when a newbie finds another half-blood, they totally spill their guts… because they finally found another person like them." Everyone but me nodded solemnly, there could only be one Oracle, if I wanted I could talk to the inanimate mummy that Chiron and Dionysus didn't want to throw away… Those hoarders. Annabeth spoke this time, instead of Percy, "Then there's Echo… she never talks, and always stares…" I could hear the ellipses in her voice. "Allura and Ches are protective of her… they say she was in an accident" I looked at everyone's' confused faces… Pollux's face was scrunched in worry and Clarisses face was obviously confused, Dionysus was not looking bored, but un-believing. "Well were are they?" Chiron broke the silence, "They wouldn't come… They said that they needed to stay…" Percy stuttered "I told Percy not to leave them… but since Percy's a seaweed brain he let them convince him they'd be fine! And then he tried to convince me and…" Annabeth looked annoyed, and I almost laughed, she was the clever one, and here she is, looking like a fool! I know it's mean, but it's not like I said it. "Well… I think you guys should get one more person, and then go get these kids." Chiron told them. I suddenly heard Clarisse gasp, "You gotta be kidding us! You're treating this like a quest?" Chiron massaged his forehead "Yes, Clarisse, I am. This could be very dangerous, we might as well be prepared for what may come our way." Clarisse opened her mouth to say something, probably some lame-o comeback, but she was cut off by Dionysus "As you obviously forgot, I am the camp director and you need permission from me before you go on this little outing!" he looked at us, and we were all as silent as stones, "Um… Can we go to retrieve three half-bloods?" Percy finally said, "I'll let you know." Dionysus said egotistically. "You got to be kidding me! Annabeth and I have been…" Percy trailed off, staring at Dionysus with angry eyes. "Percy…" I heard Annabeth whisper, "Dionysus is just practicing his power…" Percy frowned, and I just knew what he was thinking _he's a god, for Zeus's sake! Why does he need to __**practice**__ power? _Annabeth stepped forward "Please, Mr.D, we need to take these demigods to safety! It's only fair!" Annabeth stared at Dionysus with an angry/convincing face. "They may get in trouble! And even though they-"Listen, Anastasia! These kids are T-R-O-U-B-L-E with not just a capital T but all capitals!" everybody was silent, what he said made complete sense. Dionysus pulled back his hair and moaned "But fine. But when you die and all my family is on my tail about how I let you, child of the prophecy, die, you at least have to let Hades know it wasn't my fault!" Nobody cheered, but everybody mentally rolled his or her eyes, Dionysus was _so_ bad tempered. "Hate to have another fifty years at this dump…" Dionysus said under his breath.

The date had been set, Percy, Annabeth and some newbie named Maximus were going tomorrow to get the Half-Bloods, and when I laid down in bed I realized I'd be predicting the fate of this quest, it wasn't a big quest, but the question was… _what if?_ What if I predicted that a certain person close to my heart was going to die? Even if I predicted that Annabeth or Maximus were going to die, I would still be distraught, Maximus, dying on his first quest or Annabeth dying after surviving all those years on quests and holding up the sky and saving _my_ Percy from a stab in the back and living on the streets at seven years old… I hate to admit it but Annabeth is so… so _right_ for Percy. I stopped myself from fretting to much, and snuggled into my bed… even though sleep was even worse for an oracle than for a half-blood… and slowly, I drifted off.


	4. Minus The Maximus?

Chapter Four- Minus the Maximus?

That morning, I got up at four thirty. To most people, that's insanely weird and un-natural, but to me, it's just a little earlier than usual; I usually wake up at five forty five, to do yoga. For most campers, they would become Harpie delight, but I wasn't a camper, I was the oracle. The Oracle. It was a big job, I was pretty much as important as a minor god, well a minor god before Percy's request, that is. I liked to do the weirdest things in the morning, like I would clear paths on the hiking trails or I would draw a huge picture in the sand. But today I had something else in mind. I was going to climb up really high in a tree, then watch the water splash against the shores. I put on tan hiking boots, black leggings and a men's t-shirt that said 'Raymond's school of art' I had no idea where that was.

I finally found a good tree, one that the branches were close together, and easy to climb, soon enough I was at the second top branch, and hoping I wouldn't fall. Just as I was watching the ocean; I heard a soprano voice call from under me "Hey you!" I looked down, to find a wood nymph, glaring at me. "Uh… hi?" I quickly realized I was in her tree. "Eh! Eh, Fatso? Get yur fat butt outta my tree!" Uh… I couldn't think of a single thing more _annoying_ than a temperamental wood nymph. "Hurry up you slow poke! I don't want yur big gigantic body breaking my precious tree!" I almost laughed at her accent; she said tree like twee. "Okay, Okay, I'm coming." I jumped down to the fourth branch "Eh! Stop that! Don't do all dat jumpin' round, 'kay? If ya gonna jump, jump from top ta bottom den ya break yur leg an yur arm and yur neck an then Chee-ron'll come an he'll 'ell at me an tell meh I'm bad fur getting' a his precious 'alf blood…" I interrupted her "I'm not an Half-blood, and I think mostly Apollo would be mad at you…" She looked at me "What the Helios are ya then? And why Apollo? E's a rhyming gawd… gawd of medi-medicy- stuff ta make ya better… gawd of Oracle…" She looked up at me "You? You're an Oracle?" I smiled "Yeah… I'm an Oracle… Rachel, the new Oracle." She looked up at me and raised her eyebrows "I'm a Wood Nymph, My name is Willow." She pointed up to her tree, and apologized for being 'Ever so rude' "Whatever… Bye, I have to go." I stalked off, wondering why that just happened.

By the time I got to the main hall, rumors were circulating; What I got out of it was that Maximus had been eaten by a harpie, I heard this from Lola, a pink and girly daughter of Hephaestus, who probably wasn't a reliable resource, but I ran off to Percy and Annabeth, to see what exactly had happened. "Percy! Annabeth! What in the world happened? I heard that-"You heard that Maximus fell off the climbing wall to his death, didn't you?" Annabeth interrupted "No I heard that he got eaten by harpies… But I'm guessing that wasn't true?" I wondered fiercely what had happened to Maximus. "Don't worry Rachel," Percy shrugged "I heard that a Pegasus trampled him to death." Annabeth rolled her eyes "Maximus is fine. He is not dead, or dying. His mom is getting married and he had to go." I questioned that. I bet it was a lie to cover a big, bad accident. "Well… who's going to go on the quest now?" There was silence. "I don't know…" Annabeth said "Clarisse?" I asked, "She's busy, plus she wouldn't want to go." Annabeth replied "Chris?" I tried again "He refuses to go; and Clarisse doesn't want him to go, anyways." Percy replied, "Even though She's not the boss of him." He added quickly. Annabeth shot him a look. "Okay… Hmm… Grover?" I doubted that one, he was busy in the satyr industry now a days. "No. He's too busy." Percy said with melancholy. _What about me?_ "What about Nico? Nico! Speaking of Nico, where is he? I thought he had a cabin here?" I totally forgot about that guy… "He didn't stay, he couldn't handle it… The stares, the whispers, the constant annoyance. He'd be sitting alone at lunch; the hear _son of Hades _and other outtakes of rumors and such." Percy told me, with sadness in his eyes. "Oh. Poor Nico." There was approximately 3.1 ½ seconds of awkward silence. "I think we'll get Chiron or Mr. to tell the kids that we need another person for the quest at lunch time."

At supper that night, while I was sitting at the head table, with Chiron and Mr. (It's so cool that I get to sit with the 'Important dudes' as Percy calls it) When Chiron announced that there was another person needed on the quest, the room went silent. I suddenly realized that all the kids didn't want to go… it was probably a warning with whatever happened to Maximus; which is nothing. _But they don't know that._ "Come on guys! Anybody?" Percy looked so desperate, his eyebrows pulling down, his lower lip sticking out. I knew it was an act to make the kids participate… but I couldn't help but totally crumble at his face.

The room was still dead silent. I could see Annabeth playing with her stupid owl earrings at the Athena table in a nervous way. Percy sat down and rested his head on his fist. I walked up to him.

"Percy… I… if I could… I could go…"


End file.
